Book Summaries

If you like biographies and the entertainment industry, I recommend reading, or listening to, Will by Will Smith. Will did the narration for the audiobook and he did an outstanding job. This is one of my favorite books that I've read in the last year. He shares his humanity and weaknesses as equally as his successes and strengths.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jsilva.blog/2022/10/20/will-smith-summary/

The Ideal Team Player has insights into building company culture, what makes good team players, and specific tactics for interviewing and hiring. The book has value for any leaders, managers, employees, and especially for anyone involved in hiring and human resources.

The book is written in a narrative format, similar to The New One Minute Manager, and is really easy for anyone to listen to and understand the main concepts.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jsilva.blog/2019/07/11/ideal-team-player-summary/

Built from Scratch is the story of the founding and growth of The Home Depot. I really enjoyed this book and it is written in a similar style to Sam Walton Made in America. It covers topics of customer service, developing people, leadership, management, growth, and more.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jsilva.blog/2020/07/06/built-from-scratch-summary/

This is a good book if you are a business owner, entrepreneur, or work in a management position where you have input in how the company operates. It includes a lot of advice for developing systems and processes in your business.

One of my favorite lessons is understanding the difference between working in your business and on your business.

This episode is also available as a blog post at: https://jsilva.blog/2020/08/31/e-myth-summary/

Covert Cows is a well-rounded book about marketing, sales, hospitality, brand building, and creating company culture. While it focuses on the food and beverage industry, most of the lessons can be applied to businesses in other categories.

This episode is also available as a blog post at https://jsilva.blog/2021/10/21/covert-cows-summary/

I wrote this summary several years ago, so it's not as detailed as I would make today. In spite of that, it is one of my more popular summaries so I wanted to make it available in audio format.

Algorithms to Live By is a surprisingly fun book considering the subject matter. It contains mathematical philosophy for decision-making on a wide range of topics. Including hiring, dating, real estate, sorting, and even doing laundry.

This episode is also available as a blog post at https://jsilva.blog/2019/02/05/algorithms-book-summary/

James Clear did a nice job of compiling and summarizing knowledge on habits from various sources and then adding specific actionable steps. He has also created good tools and media as companions to the book which are available for free, links in the summary on my blog.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jsilva.blog/2020/03/30/atomic-habits-summary/

Fantastical Prospecting is a well-rounded book on prospecting and sales. I like the advice on leveraging text messaging and social media for prospecting. The section in chapter 9 on building familiarity and the number of touches required was helpful and a good mental model to be aware of.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jsilva.blog/2019/02/27/fanatical-prospecting-summary/

In 2019 I listened to Getting Things Done and it helped improve my productivity so much that I read it again. David Allen says “The implicit purpose of this book is urging you to operate from a higher level. To assist you in making your total life expression more fulfilling and better aligned with the big picture.”

My notes don’t do the book justice. If this resonates with you, I encourage you to purchase a copy and read or listen for yourself. The author narrates the audible version himself which enhances the delivery of his material.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jsilva.blog/2020/11/23/getting-things-done-summary/

Deep Work gives insights into the importance of mastery and the value of doing deep work. I really like, and agree with, the thesis and hypothesis of the book. Every one should find value in this book and I often recommend it as one of my favorites.

The book’s thesis: A deep life is not just economically lucrative but also a life well lived.

Deep work hypothesis: the ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://jsilva.blog/2019/08/15/deep-work-book-summary/